Boston’s metropolitan area has grown larger with housing developments encroaching on former woodlands. Through this action, there has been an increasing need to conserve land to keep it forever wild. Luckily, on the South Shore, many towns have prominent conservation areas. Coupled with groups such as the Wildlands Trust, the region has a number of walking trails through protected land. Among them is the Beaver Dam Conservation Area in Plymouth.
The Beaver Dam Conservation Area is located close to a parcel of land, the Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, which is owned and operated by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. The Beaver Dam Conservation Area is located on the aptly named Beaver Dam Road and is owned by the town of Plymouth. On a recent day after work, my wife and I took the kids for an adventure here.
Time for a walk
Park in the small lot on the south side of the road. The trail dips into the woods, with arrows pointing the directions through the woods. Of course, this is easier said than done with children ages six and two who are forced to go on a walk after a long day at school or daycare respectively. One child decided to run the whole time while the other decided to flop (which seems to be a trend on some of these walks).
The conservation area is a very enjoyable place to take a walk. The route the paths take is clear and the trail are quite large. Highlighting the walk are the shore access points around Little Island Pond. The clear, relatively large pond provides a scenic respite from the traffic of Beaver Dam Road. For the kids, the shore access was also certainly a highlight. Tommy, the younger one, managed to soak his foot. A boardwalk stretches out from the path to the water’s edge.
If you go to Beaver Dam Conservation Area
The walk around totals about two miles, but the route can be cut short in case of excessive flopping to the ground by children. The Beaver Dam Conservation Area is another fine example of Plymouth’s public green spaces. The parking lot is located at 219 Beaver Dam Road in Plymouth. For another town parcel, check out the Clear Pond Conservation Area.
